This invention relates to a queuing system and more particularly to a queuing system for representing the sequence of individuals in a queue.
Persons are often required to wait in line for a particular service or for example when taking turns to play a game. It is often difficult to keep track of whose turn it is in such instances. In some instances when playing games like pool, players waiting for a turn do not stand in line, but put down a coin in a row of coins and retire to a seat to watch and await their turn. The row of coins represent the queued players. Problems are associated with this practice however due to a lack of indication of the order of the coins as well as interference of the coins positions by persons playing the pool game. Coins are known to be misplaced or cause interference with the play of the game because it is standard practice to place the coins along one of the rails of a pool table.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,678 to Fansler and U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,937 to Abraham each provide a device which is arranged to mount on the rail of a pool table for supporting coins in a sequence representing the sequence of players queued. Despite providing an indication of the order of the queued players these devices are not reliable because they both require an individual to manually advance each coin individually thereon to avoid confusion when the device is fully loaded with coins. Furthermore, the coins may easily be displaced through interference from a person playing the game so as to provide further confusion as to which coin indicates the next person to be queued.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,810 to Wehbi provides a participation control device which includes a plurality of rotatable chambers which are arranged to receive numbered tokens therein to indicate an order of the play of the participants. The device however requires significant manipulation by the participants to insert and remove the tokens so as to present significant opportunity for confusion and misplacement of the tokens when in use.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a queuing system comprising:
a plurality of tokens;
an endless track supporting the tokens therein for sliding movement in a first direction along the track; and
an indicator on the track corresponding to a first token to be queued;
wherein the first direction corresponds to displacement of the tokens towards the indicator for indicating a queuing order.
The use of a track in combination with tokens for identifying persons in a queue permits the tokens to be advanced in a sliding movement towards a fixed indicator for clearly indicating who is due to be called next from the queue. This arrangement removes the confusion normally associated with fixed tokens and an indicator which varies in position to indicate which token is to be called next. The arrangement of the track further permits the tokens to be partially or fully shielded within the track to prevent the tokens from being misplaced. This is particularly useful on pool tables and the like where a queue of coins is commonly misplaced due to interference from play of the pool game.
The term token is used as a generic term to include anything that travels along the track and serves to identify an individual member of a queue. The tokens may be conventional coins or other track followers referred to herein as travellers. The travellers may carry coins. The use of conventional coins avoids confusion as coins are already known to represent a queue of persons.
Preferably there is provided indicia on the track in alignment with the tokens in the track, the indicia corresponding to the positions in the queue representing the respective tokens.
The system may include a stop member arranged to engage the tokens to restrict displacement of the tokens in a second direction opposite the first direction. The stop member ensures that the tokens are advanced in the proper direction towards the indicator so as to minimise errors in the order due to misuse.
The endless track may be formed by a pair of elongate and parallel side portions and a pair of curved end portions coupled between respective ends of the side portions. The shape of the track is thus suitably arranged for mounting along the rail of a pool table without interfering with the playing surface of the pool table.
The track may include mounting means for mounting the track on an upright supporting surface.
A mounting flange extending laterally outward from the track and spaced upwardly from a bottom side of the track is useful for recessing the queuing system into the rail of a pool table to further minimise the interference between the queuing system and the play of the pool game.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a queuing system for queuing conventional coins, the queuing system comprising:
a plurality of tokens, each token being arranged to support one of the conventional coins therein;
an endless track mounting the tokens therein for sliding movement in a first direction along the track; and
an indicator on the track for indicating which token corresponds to a first coin to be queued;
wherein the first direction corresponds to displacement of the tokens towards the indicator for indicating a queuing order of the coins.
The stop member is preferably formed on the track, the stop member being arranged to engage the tokens to restrict displacement of the tokens in a second direction opposite the first direction. The stop member ensures that the tokens are advanced in the proper direction towards the indicator so as to minimise errors in the order due to misuse.
Positioning the tokens end to end to fill the track permits a user to advance only a single token towards the indicator while the remainder of the tokens are displaced with the token about the endless track so to be also displaced towards the indicator.
Where the token is a traveller for carrying a coin, it preferably includes a coin release mechanism arranged to release a coin from the token. When there is provided a circular indent in each token suitably sized to receive the coin therein, the coin release mechanism preferably comprises a recessed portion adjacent a periphery of the indent. The circular indent may comprise a flat central portion for supporting the coin thereon with the recessed portion comprising an annular recess about a periphery of the circular indent.
The system may include a stop member adjacent the indicator on the track so as to restrict displacement of the tokens in the first direction past the stop member until a coin supported thereon has been removed. This is to ensure that the tokens are not advanced past the indicator until the persons associated with the coins thereon have already been called from the queue and removed their coins.
There may be provided a flange mounted along the track to extend partially over the tokens so as to restrict removal of the tokens from the track. The use of a flange to restrict removal of the tokens ensures that the tokens are not tampered with.
There may be provided a magnetic element mounted within each token for assisting in supporting the coins on the respective tokens. The use of a magnetic element in combination with the flange for retaining the tokens within the track is particularly useful when supporting the track on a generally vertical supporting surface, for example the side of a pool table, proximal wall or post.
The track may include mounting means for mounting the track on an upright supporting surface.
Each token preferably includes a different indicia thereon for indicating which person corresponds to each coin supported on the tokens. This arrangement permits persons to use a common type of coin while still being able to identifying which coin is theirs.
The track may comprise a trough supporting the tokens therein for sliding movement along the trough. The tokens themselves may be travellers of generally circular shape so as to be freely rotatable within the track. Each token may further include a lowered peripheral edge supporting the token on the track. This arrangement reduces resistance to displacement of the tokens along the track by minimising friction between the tokens and the track.
In further arrangements each token preferably includes a pair of parallel and opposing sides arranged to engage respective side walls of the track for restricting pivotal movement of the token within the track as the token is slidably displaced along the track. The tokens may thus be circular with flattened sides, generally rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal in shape which is particularly useful when the mounting arrangement of the coin within the token is not symmetrical.